Always
by Jess.91
Summary: Heart to heart with Harry and Teddy Lupin, and Harry showing Teddy memories of his parents. Oneshot.


Always

Summary: Heart-to-heart with Harry and Teddy Lupin, and Harry showing Teddy memories of his parents. One-shot.

Teddy Lupin looked down at the sleeping infant in the baby basket. James Potter was three weeks old, with a thick, messy tuft of bright red hair, and brown eyes.

James Potter had parents.

Teddy had seen babies before, of course. The Weasley's were a big family, and so Teddy had grown up seeing new babies all the time. He liked the Weasleys - there were the nicest family he knew, and they treated him as if he was one of them, as if he belonged.

But James Potter was different.

Although Teddy had been brought up by his grandmother, he'd spent most weekends with Harry and Ginny, or another of the Weasleys, usually Ron and Hermione or Bill and Fleur. But Harry was his godfather, and had babysat and visited Teddy often over the last seven years. Harry and Ginny, Teddy supposed, were the closest thing he had to real parents - his grandmother was his grandmother.

So it was understandable that he felt jealous of the sleeping baby in front of him. Because James Potter was Harry and Ginny's _real_ son - and, the seven-year-old wondered, would Harry and Ginny still have him over so often, still treat him like a son when they had a real child to look after?

Teddy didn't think they would.

"What's wrong?" Harry had walked to Teddy's side without the little boy realising.

"Nothing." Teddy said, and moved away from the baby to sit on the sofa.

He was in Harry and Ginny's house, stopping over for the weekend. Would these weekends continue now? Ron, Hermione and Ginny must still be in the kitchen, Teddy thought as he curled up at the end of the sofa. Silently, Harry moved over and sat at the other end. And waited.

As he had expected, seconds later Teddy spoke. "James has parents." He said quietly.

Harry had expected this, and understood. Still, he didn't know what to say, so he just looked at Teddy.

"I don't." The child added, looking determinedly at his knees.

"You do, Teddy." Harry said quietly. "You still have parents, and they love you very much. They just can't be with you."

"'Cause they're dead." Teddy muttered. "It's not the same. You're not dead."

"I know. But, Teddy, your parents will always love you. They're a part of you, don't forget. And they're always with you. Always watching over you."

"I don't have a family, though." Teddy murmured, still looking at his knees.

"Don't you?" Harry asked. "Teddy, what is a family? What do families do?"

Teddy though for a moment before replying, "They love each other and look after each other."

"Right. And, doesn't your Grandma love you and look after you? Don't Ginny and Ron and Hermione and me love and look after you? Don't the Weasley's love and look after you?"

"Yes..." Teddy said thoughtfully.

"So, do you think that just because you don't share blood you aren't related?"

"I..."

"Your dad and mine were best friends, and your parents were my friends too. They were like my family, Teddy. I didn't have family either, not until I met the Weasleys. They're the only family I can ever remember having. They're the first family to ever accept me, love me, treat me like I belonged. And that's how they treat you, isn't it?" Teddy nodded. "So, do you still think you don't have family?" Teddy shook his head, and smiled.

"It's not the same." He said. "But it's as good as, isn't it?"

"Yes." Harry siad. "It is. The Weasley's are the nicest people you'll ever meet, kid. They're the only people who'll accept someone so readily, who'll love them even though they don't have to. You're parents were like a part of that family, and so are you."

In the kitchen, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who could clearly hear every word, smiled at each other.

"It'll never be OK that they're gone." Harry siad quietly. "It'll never stop hurting. But you will learn to live with it, I promise."

"I wish I could remember them, though. My mum and dad." Teddy said, after a few seconds. "I wish I had some memories of them...wish I could see what they're like."

"I know. I know you do. It sucks. I..." Harry trailed off as an idea hit him. "I could show you."

"What?"

"Come on." Harry siad, jumping to his feet and pulling the kid across the room. "I can't believe I never thought of it before." Rummaging through a cabinet, Harry pulled out an empty stone basin. "I bought it years ago. Barely ever use it." Working quickly, Harry used his wand to take silvery substance from his head to the basin, watched by Teddy with interest and confusion.

"What is it?"

"Memories. I can show you my memories of your parents."

"Really? How?"

Harry finished, put his wand back into his pocket. "We go inside."

"Inside that? But..."

"It's OK, it's safe. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Teddy replied. "I'll be with you, right?"

"Of course. OK, you go first."

"How...?"

"Just put your head in." Harry replied, and when Teddy look hesitant, added, "I'll be right behind you, I promise." Taking a deep breath, Teddy stuck his head into the basin and was pulled inside. Harry followed.

Teddy looked around himself. They were on a train, he thought. And, turning, he saw teenage versions of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"This is the first time I met your dad." Harry said, after landing next to Teddy. Teddy looked at the sleeping wizard in the corner.

"He's asleep." He said quietly, moving forwards.

"He'll wake up soon. When the dementors get here...It's OK, they can't hurt us, we're not really here."

And Teddy watched, enthralled, as everything went dark, as Neville and Ginny entered, then the dementor. He barely noticed Harry faint, but watched, straining to see through the darkness, as his dad chased the dementor away.

Next, they went through some of the lessons Teddy's dad had taught, and the night Harry found out who Sirius really was. Teddy made a noise like a growl when Snape tied Remus up, and smiled when Harry, Ron and Hermione knocked the teacher out.

Teddy watched the scenes with interest, but Harry divided his attention between the scenes and his godson. This, he though, was good for Teddy.

Teddy watched, wide-eyed, as his dad transformed into a werewolf. Then their surroundings changed again, and they were in the Dursley's kitchen.

"My mum..." Teddy whispered, looking over at the witch helping Harry pack. She'd just changed her hair to bubble-gum pink, and was trying to clean the room up some.

"First time I met her." Harry nodded. "And when we go downstairs..."

"My dad!" Teddy cried, after they'd walked down the stairs and he'd seen his father.

"Your mum was real clumsy." Harry grinned, as their surroundings changed to Grimmauld place, and Tonks knocked over the umbrella stand.

A few more short memories - Tonks changing her nose for the entertainment of Hermione and Ginny, Tonks threatening to curse Stan on the night-bus, the scene at the ministry the night Sirius had died...

This was a painful memory for Harry, but he wanted Teddy to see his parents fighting. Teddy watched, looking both fascinated and scared as he watched his parents battled death-eaters. The child knew it was stupid to worry about his parents - he knew they survived this battle and died in another - but he still cried out when his mother rolled down the steps.

Another memory, the hospital wing, surrounding Bill.

"Just after Dumbledore died." Harry said quietly. They listened to the exchange - Tonks outburst, Remus' reply.

"Tonks deserves someone young and whole." Lupin had replied.

"He didn't like her?" Teddy asked, without looking away from his parents.

"He didn't think he was good enough for her." Harry corrected.

Dumbledore's funeral, where his parents were holding hands. Teddy grinned widely.

"This is a few weeks later." Harry said, when they were back in the Dursley's kitchen, with a crowd of people, including Teddy's parents.

"You got married?" Teenage Harry said loudly, looking at the ring.

Then, at the Weasley's, Teddy watched his parents again, worried about each other.

"They really loved each other..." He said quietly.

"Yes. They did." Harry nodded.

The exchange at Grimmauld place was next, when Remus told Harry, Ron and Hermione that Tonks was having a baby.

"Why didn't he want me?" Teddy asked, sounding hurt.

"It's not like that." Harry said quickly. "Watch. Listen."

And Teddy did.

"So...by trying to leave...he was trying to protect me and mum?" Teddy asked slowly. "That was stupid."

"Yeah, it was. But do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Last one." Harry said with a smile as they moved to Bill and Fleur's. Remus rushed into the house, announced the birth.

"He looks...crazy." Teddy smiled, as Remus ran to Harry asked him to be godfather.

"He was. Crazy with happiness. I've never seen him like that...it was like even he was shocked his could be so happy. He loved you, Teddy. They both loved you, so much. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't." Teddy said quietly. "I'll always remember all of this..."

----

Later, as he tried to sleep, Teddy remembered all the things Harry had shown him. He really would never forget...never forget how giddy his father had been after his birth, or how much his parents loved each other, loved him.

Because his parents might be dead, but now Teddy knew they hadn't left him on purpose. He'd wondered before if they'd left him that night because they didn't want him, but now he knew they did. They did love him, did want him.

He knew he'd always remember that.


End file.
